Landscape-changing moves: The Blue Jays pulled off two of the biggest trades of the winter, acquiring Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and Emilio Bonifacio from the Marlins and Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey from the Mets. They also signed free agents Melky Cabrera and Maicer Izturis.

Lasting regret: Alex Rodriguez helped the Yankees win the 2009 World Series, but his $275 million contract, running through 2017, hangs over the franchise's head. Rodriguez won't play until July, if then, after hip surgery.

Enter, stage left: Former Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell returns to Boston as manager after asking out of the last year of his deal with the Blue Jays, who then rehired John Gibbons.

It's hot in the kitchen: Memories of the 2004 and '07 championships have grown distant in Boston, with club President Larry Lucchino and ownership in the cross hairs of sports' most demanding fans.

Book it: The Rays will miss James Shields. His leadership of the pitching staff contributed heavily to the team's average of 91.6 wins the last five seasons.

ALL-DIVISION TEAM

SP: David Price, Rays

RP: Jim Johnson, Orioles (sorry, Mariano Rivera)

C: Matt Wieters, Orioles

1B: Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays

2B: Robinson Cano, Yankees

SS: Jose Reyes, Blue Jays

3B: Evan Longoria, Rays

LF: Desmond Jennings, Rays

CF: Adam Jones, Orioles

RF: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays

DH: David Ortiz, Red Sox

AWARDS

MVP — Jose Bautista, Blue Jays. He's not Miguel Cabrera, but he'll drive in 130-plus runs if he stays healthy, given the speed of the lineup around him.

Cy Young — David Price, Rays. This is the rare time two reigning Cy Young Award winners will work in the same division, and it's more likely that Price will duplicate his success than R.A. Dickey, who could suffer changing leagues.

Rookie — Dylan Bundy, Orioles. Despite some control problems, he was effective this spring. Look for him to come up by June and have more impact than Rays outfielder Wil Myers.

Manager — John Gibbons, Blue Jays. His roster gives him more moving parts to use than any manager in baseball, with both experience and speed on the bench.

NINE QUESTIONS

1. Is it true that all five teams could win the East or finish in last place? No. There's no way the Red Sox can finish first or the Blue Jays last. Otherwise, maybe.

2. What can the Yankees count on from Derek Jeter? Not as much as they'd like. They're fooling themselves if they think a 38-year-old middle infielder can shrug off a broken ankle.

3. Weren't the 2012 Orioles a fluke? No. Some luck was involved in a 29-9 record in one-run games, but they're loaded with young impact players and good players who are still unknowns, like second baseman Jonathan Schoop.

4. Is this the year Mark Buehrle loses it? Nope. He'll be more valuable to the Blue Jays than Josh Johnson and maybe R.A. Dickey. There's no reason to think it won't be his 13th season in a row with 30-plus starts and 200-plus innings.

5. When's the best time to check out the Blue Jays in Toronto? The Jays are scheduled to play home series against the Angels and Orioles in September, during the Toronto International Film Festival. That's a great double play.

6. Is the stadium situation in Tampa Bay ever going to be resolved? Sadly, there's no end in sight.

7. Will John Farrell be sorry he left Toronto? Unquestionably. The next few years look miserable for a Red Sox organization that won't allow itself "bridge years,'' to use the Theo Epstein term that John Henry, Tom Werner and especially Lucchino seemed to hate so badly.

8. Who starts for the Orioles, anyway? With prospects Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman expected to arrive by midseason, GM Dan Duquette left his starting pitching alone. Jason Hammel is on track to start opening day, followed by Wei-Yin Chen, Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez and Jake Arrieta, with flame-thrower Tommy Hunter available as a swingman.

9. What else can go wrong for the Yankees? Not much in the short run. But they're going to lose Curtis Granderson or Robinson Cano, if not both, to free agency after the season.